Beyond Go/No Go (US AOPA 'Weather Wise' video)

[Garfly]

I love the true peer-to-peer tone of these films.

 

All the more effective for not trying to preach from on high.

 

 

 

[Garfly]

In response to Tony's 'More' request this is another in that Weather Wise series

 

 

 

 

Plus there are heaps of other great Air Safety Institute films available here:

 

Air Safety Institute

 

 

[rollerball]

Flying into a bank of sea fog in my X-Air while heading north on France's SW coast in 2015. As I said at the time when I posted it, 'D'you think you can hack it?'

 

 

I was bo**ocked for landing non-radio at a 'radio obligatoire' airfield but when I explained the reason they could not have been more accommodating and sociable.

 

It's not worth pressing on - never.

 

 

[farri]

Flying into a bank of sea fog in my X-Air while heading north on France's SW coast in 2015. As I said at the time when I posted it, 'D'you think you can hack it?'

I don`t want to have to hack it...Why didn`t you turn back sooner, better still, why did you go into it?

 

Frank.

 

 

[rollerball]

Hi Frank, I have an IMC rating, admittedly lapsed, so I wasn't too concerned about continuing with the vis as it was in the first part of the vid. However, as you can see it suddenly got worse and that's when I decided to call it a day. It's all a matter of judgement I guess and I reached my point of no-go maybe after some others would have, plus up to that point I had the option of turning right 90 degrees and running with the fog front, albeit in continuing low vis, until I got out of it..

 

I was flying with a pal in another slower aircraft who left a bit before me and we were both heading for an airfield further north where we were due to meet up for our evening cook-and-brew-up and nightly camp, but pressing on to meet up with him didn't come into it. Although our plan was to fly right up the western coast of France next to the sea, which is what I was doing, he stayed more inland and wasn't affected by the fog. However, he decided on a precautionary at Arcachon to check on his fuel and had a merry game. Arcachon is the main GA summer weekend destination for pilots from Bordeaux and the manager there only wants people with pips on their shoulders and not grubby ultralight pilots like him, and especially coming in non-radio when it's 'obligatoire'.

 

To start off with the manager insisted that he wasn't going to be allowed to take off again and that he'd have to trailer his aircraft out, but my mate being a retired Dutch air force pilot wasn't going to have any of that. It all got sorted in the end

 

But returning to your question, yup, I accept what you're saying. Some may have decided to pack it in a bit sooner than I did but I was happy until I reached my personal limit and for me it was then a no-brainer, and it worked out fine. The important thing I think is to recognise when you've reached that point and act upon it immediately and not to try and push your limit beyond what you know, not think, you can cope with.